Chapter 73

“….”

I could not find a word to say for a moment.

In fact, there were many reasons — that Princess Hermia had come to convince me, that I, too, wanted to get away from him and find my rights and duties as Evelyn Garneid, and that I miss my family — obviously, these reasons were the ones I thought were the reasons that I came back a little while ago.

…But, why?

This very moment that holds Cassius in my eyes… for some reason, any other reasons felt useless.

The first thing that came to my mind at that time was the law Hermia had told me.

“…After three years of being engaged, common-law marriage would be established. So, I’m here to sort it out.”

“Is that so?”

Unlike a while ago, a low-pitched voice was heard. Then, Cassius slowly turned his head before opening his mouth again.

“If that’s what the Young Lady wants, I’ll do it. David, bring me my seal and file.”

“Yes.”

At his words, David answered quietly and took out the necessary documents from the place Cassius had pointed out.

‘So easy…?’

I glanced at him as I signed the paperwork.

‘At this point, he looked perfectly fine.’

No matter how disheveled his appearance was, if his words and actions were this normal, he would not even need a doctor.

“This is where we break off the engagement.”

At last, when all the procedures were over, Cassius spoke calmly.

“….”

I licked my lips. Things were going utterly different from what I had imagined until I set foot in the Duke’s mansion.

‘…In the end, I couldn’t even say the word ‘breakup’ with my own mouth.’

Perhaps, it was only natural. In the first place, Cassius alone established this engagement and had brought it along so far. Because of that, it would not be strange if he took the lead in breaking the engagement.

“Thank you.”

I thanked him sincerely.

“I heard that you aren’t feeling very well, so please get well soon. It doesn’t suit you to be like this.”

“…Is that so.”

Despite his joking remarks, Cassius did not seem to feel any better. Still, it was understandable enough, so I hurriedly turned my head to David.

“I’d like you to report to the Duke immediately. I’m afraid it’d be difficult if he still knew me as Lord Cassius’ fiancée.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

David shook his head and added.

“The Duke already knows the whole story.”

“…Yes?”

“I knew that, too. That’s why the Young Lady came in today. I deliberately tried to leave the Duke’s mansion empty to make it less uncomfortable, though it seems that some servants did not receive the instructions. I apologize on his behalf.”

“Wait…”

Stunned, I asked back.

“What do you mean by all that now? Did the Duke know where I was? Only Lord Cassius knew…”

David was silent for a moment. Then, after a moment, the words that came out of his mouth were unbelievable.

“After the disappearance of the Young Lady, Lord Cassius often lost his reason. So, there was a change in the command. Right now, His Excellency the Duke and I are temporarily in charge.”

I turned my gaze to Cassius unconsciously before turning back to David again.

‘So, the reason that David’s been busy… it was this.’

He was effectively held the second-in-command of the Duke of Brudenell. I had a feeling that Ophelia’s position would be solid, but it seemed that it was not the time to be making such carefree judgments.

“But, is it okay like that…?”

David smiled bitterly.

“If it wasn’t fine, would the Lord have left me and Young Lady openly talking in front of him like this?”

“….”

I gazed at Cassius.

‘…David is right.’

Cassius’ gaze was still somewhere in the air. Come to think of it, even when he was dealing with the various things needed to break off the engagement a while ago, I had a feeling he was just doing something that had to be done.

“…Lord Cassius.”

No answer came back.

His empty eyes did not direct towards me either. Cassius Brudenell, having finished all his work, was just there, like an object or a rock.

Still, I didn’t give up.

“…Lord, you promised.”

The reason I did not leave him right away was not because of the cheap tie or because of a long-standing morality. I just thought that there was no reason for anything to be in the same situation as him.

“You said you’d be fine. Was it all a lie?”

Silence.

Cassius’ left eyebrow trembled as if in a convulsion. Seeing that, I pushed him a little more.

“I heard clearly with my two ears. Because you promised me that you’ll be fine… So, please do that. Yes?”

I was certain that he had not completely lost his mind. Rather, he simply fled to the position of ‘the heir who lost his mind’ just like me a while ago.

“I didn’t say I was going to be fine.”

Very slowly, a dry, hoarse voice escaped from between Cassius’ haggard but handsome lips.

“…I just made you believe so, Evelyn.”

With those words, I could not help thinking of ‘that day’ naturally.

…The day that he suddenly freed me.

ﾟ· : * ✧ * :· ﾟ

“Go, when I can let you go.”

The moment I heard those words, the strength in my legs were gone. To be honest, it was not because of joy. What was the trick again this time? Instead, it could be said that it was close to a feeling of despair. I opened my mouth slowly, thinking that I did not want to play anymore.

“Lord, don’t say anything you can’t keep.”

“…I intend to keep it.”

“Then, if I’ve enjoyed enough freedom, will you send someone to bring me back?”

“No, I won’t.”

“Besides, I don’t even know how to get out of this island right now. Are you saying you want to operate a warship by myself?”

“…I’ll put someone on it. They’ll drop you off at the nearest port.”

“….”

I glanced at him.

…Was it an illusion? Somehow, the expression on his face seemed as though Cassius was regretting a little.

‘No way.’

I shook my head inwardly. Cassius Brudenell was never one to regret.

“Evelyn.”

Suddenly, he called me.

My body naturally tensed. It was because I did not know when he would change his mind and decide not to let me go.

“You have to stay well.”

“….”

“Really, you have to stay well.”

He emphasized the word, which was nothing special, once more. After that, I quickly walked along the path to the coast.

“Come quickly. Now is the right time to leave the island.”

Preparations went faster than expected.

I packed my clothes, necessities and accessories before putting Arfie in the basket. Of course, Kitty and I were going to part ways at this point though I could not resist the image of her begging to come with me.

And so, the three of us boarded a small ship. It turned out that the warship was accompanied by several small boats.

Meanwhile, Cassius stayed on the island to watch us go.

I did not know that the performance was meant to reassure me, so I gave a brief thank you.

“You have to take care of yourself.”

Cassius glanced down at me with a somewhat sad gaze.

“…It has nothing to do with you now.”

“Nevertheless.”

I uttered with sincerity.

“It has nothing to do with me, so you should be better.”

Actually, my intentions were closer to this side—take care and live well, please do not look for me again!

“…I’ll try to live up to the expectations of the Young Lady.”

I nodded.

Even as a courtesy, I did not think to say thank you. So, our last conversation came to an end, and after a few hours of sailing, Kitty and I were able to reach the southern port.

ﾟ· : * ✧ * :· ﾟ

I wet my dry lips.

Until that day, Cassius seemed quite normal. How could someone like that change like this just because they let me go…?

I am not saying that I feel guilty. In the first place, all of this was caused by him. However, seeing this figure, I could not help but feel compassion as a human being.

“Can I ask you just one thing?”

I mustered up the courage and took a step closer to him. At that, his body stiffened for a moment, then he loosened up again.

“…Why did you let me go that day?”

In fact, I did not expect a meaningful answer because the condition of Cassius was not so good.

However, was it because of a little luck?

His mouth opened slowly the next moment.

“When I found the dog, you were very happy. I wanted to keep seeing that happy face. Nonetheless…”

Even though there were three people in the room, Cassius’ voice was the only sound in the silence where even breathing could not be heard.

“I just realized that you couldn’t be happy by my side, Evelyn.”